First Comes Marriage, Then Comes
by isahbellah
Summary: "Right, so let me get this straight..." Tony crossed his arms. "Your father," He started, mildly pointing at Thor, "wants one of us," his finger motioning to everyone in the room, "to marry your crazy brother" he did the universal 'that guy is insane' gesture with his finger, "so he can get his redemption!" - Arranged Marriage AU. Will become "M".
1. The Chosen One

How... infuriating.

Yes, Loki _had _surrendered to the so-called Avengers earlier that day. But that didn't mean he would _accept_ whatever they had in store for him as punishment. He was being held in court, with Thor at his side and what felt like the entire Asgardian population at his back.

The All-Father surveyed him silently from the throne before him, expression stern but otherwise carefully devoid of emotion.

It was clear from the angry whispers behind him and the look on his once-father's face that Loki wasn't welcome in Asgard anymore. He knew he no longer had a home or a family; he could not even call himself _Odinson_. As if he'd ever want to. He was just Loki now. Being tried for something he'd done, but not because he had _wanted_ to do it. It was a complicated issue.

None of that mattered now. Odin had made up his mind, and Loki had no say in it. He just had to _suffer_ the consequences.

* * *

The next day, The Avengers were all sitting around the large table in the conference room, with Thor and Director Fury standing somewhat uncomfortably at the front of the room. Thor had just come back with news from Asgard, news that Fury already knew and had the _tolerance_ and _consideration_ **not** to share.

Which was why Thor was the one to break it to the team.

"My friends, it seems I'll have to ask all of you a favour..." Thor started, looking at all of them before continuing again, "My father has tried Loki for his deeds. Loki will be permitted to keep his powers, _if_ one of you could... keep an eye on him."

Clint was the first to scoff, the others (sans Tony, because Tony Stark is the opposite of patient) waiting patiently for Thor to elaborate on his request.

"The All-Father has decided that my... brother, needs someone to take responsibility for him. To care for him, and show him the wrong of his deeds."

Yeah, they still had no clue of what he was talking about. But Bruce started to sweat slightly from the conversation, Clint tensed up at each word, and Tony was playing on his phone (if it was really important Bruce would tell him what he was missing).

Only Steve and Natasha were still wearing their serious faces while listening to him.

"Which is why... he wants one of you to marry Loki."

Tony only heard the word_ marry_, but that was more than enough to catch his attention, given the context.

"Director, what the **fuck** is he talking about?!" Barton couldn't keep it to himself anymore and in a blink he was standing, fists clenched as he tried to keep his composure.

"Calm down, Barton. I don't like this idea any more than you." Fury said, almost as if he were trying to be soothing Clint, "But what the All-Father says is law. And this is his son too, regardless of how recently said son tried to level New York. So there's not much we can do about it. You're grown superheroes. I trust you will find a way out of this." Fury said with a rather malicious smirk before leaving the room.

"Now, Thor, you can't be serious..." Steve said cautiously, rising from his seat and walking slowly to the thunder god, "We can't let that happen to Natasha. It wouldn't be fair to a lady like her."

Tony laughed at that, sliding his phone into his pocket as he moved closer to the blonde, "Rogers, I don't think you understand what Point Break is telling us. He said _'one of you'_, not 'Natasha'."

Huh. Apparently a part of Tony's brain was paying attention, after all.

"Plus, I can take care of myself, Captain." Natasha said, giving Steve two gentle pats on the cheek.

"But... you're the only woman in our group, Ms. Romanoff." Steve replied, confused.

"Uhm... Mr Rogers, if I may?" Bruce removed his glasses and began to clean them on the hem of his shirt, a gesture that Tony had come to recognize as Bruce's strategy for buying himself time to think. As pissed off as Clint was, Bruce was even more upset. He was visibly trying to calm himself down before he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm not sure what Asgard thinks of same-sex marriage, but uhm... let's just say that _nowadays_, here, the idea's been discussed in a number of countries. And while it's not exactly legal in New York, there are other states in which it is." Bruce shrugged, a shy smile starting to work its way onto his face.

"Right, so let me get this straight..." Tony crossed his arms. "Your father," He started, mildly pointing at Thor, "wants one of us," his finger motioning to everyone in the room, "to marry _your __**crazy**__ brother_" he did the universal '_that guy is insane_' gesture with his finger, "so he can get his redemption?!"

"My brother is not 'crazy', Tony Stark." The god countered, looking a bit offended, "And it's not quite that simple. Once one of you marries Loki, the All-Father will give you full control over him-"

"What do you mean full control?" Clint asked, suddenly more interested in the whole deal. Natasha rolled her eyes at that.

"Calm down, Merida, let Pikachu talk." Tony turned his attention back to Thor, "So, why, exactly, do we have to _marry_ him for that?"

The thunder god shook his head, "I do not know for sure. My father said he would explain the details to the... other fiancé."

Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So what do we do now? I'm sure _none _of us are going to willingly marry Loki, right?"

It was true, though. None of them were about to raise their hand and say '_Oh hey, you know what, I actually want to marry the psychopath!_' or even '_Fine, I'll take one for the team_'. This called for extreme measures. Decision-making like adults – like _superheroes_.

So, naturally, Tony figured he'd let fate decide (Not that he believed in that shit anyway, but at least if they did it with a game, The Chosen One wouldn't whine so much about it, right?).

He quickly moved to the table, snatched a piece of paper, and cut off 3 long strips and one short one

"Alright, to make it fair, let's draw straws... without the straws, because we don't have time to go around SHIELD looking for straws and hell, I don't even think we'd find any here, unless Ms. Romanoff over here has straws hidden under her catsuit... _Unlikely_."

He cleared his throat.

"Anyway, you guys know the rules, I guess. Each one of us chooses one of these..." he waved the paper slips around in the air, gesturing, "And whoever gets the smallest one, loses."

Clint was the first to notice, "Stark, you only have_ four _of those. Did you forget how to count?"

Tony raised an eyebrow and patted Clint on the back reassuringly, "Oh no buddy, I'm just taking you out of the game, that's all."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"Sorry, dude. Thor said whoever marries Loki gets 'control' over him. I don't think I could leave you alone with him, not with that much power. And despite what might be said to the contrary, I'm not THAT much of a voyeur."

"I'm gonna have to agree with Stark, Agent Barton." Steve stepped in after rolling his eyes at Tony, "After what he did to you, perhaps it'd be better for everyone if you weren't an option?"

"What? That's bullsh-"

"What about the other missing paper, Stark? There are six of us." Natasha pointed out.

"That's Thor." Tony gestured to the big guy, now sitting and waiting patiently for their decision. "Sorry man, but you're his _brother_. Adopted or not, that's kind of..." He decided not to finish the sentence.

But the god simply smiled and shook his head once more, "It's alright, Man Of Iron. I said it had to be one of _you_, not one of _us_." He winked.

Hah. Funny guy.

"That leaves... me, Tony, Natasha and Steve." Bruce said finally, moving closer to Tony's handful of 'straws'. "I... just don't think I'm a good choice, either, Tony."

Tony gave Bruce's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "What do you mean, man? I don't think-"

"Loki... could..._ irritate_ the other guy easily." Bruce interrupted with an apologetic smile. "I don't think it'd be a good idea, Tony." He stepped back to to sit with Thor and Clint.

Tony sighs, "Very well, then. Natasha, Rogers and I-"

"Tony..." Steve started too, and seriously, Tony knew nobody wanted to marry the bastard, but they'd find a way out of this mess so the arrangement wasn't permanent. They just needed to know what the All-Father had in mind with this 'wedding'. Then they'd... do something.

"Yeah, Rogers, what is it?" Tony answered with a sigh, fighting his impulse to facepalm.

Steve ran his fingers through his hair nervously, looking everywhere but his teammates' eyes. "Uhm... look... I'm not really... _comfortable_ with the idea of marrying a guy."

As much as Steve's general righteousness, cheeriness, so-called 'selflessness' and all his other -nesses drove Tony crazy, he was at least _trying_ to be understanding. The guys was born in the forties, and Tony knew 'how it was'.

Maybe he was leering at the guy, because the second Rogers looked at him he almost choked, his hands coming up as if to defend himself. "I-I'm not homophobic, Tony! Jeez! I just... I don't... I'm not..." He struggled with how to explain himself without offending someone – likely Tony.

Natasha laid a hand on his shoulder, trying her best to be comforting "Captain, it's alright. There probably won't even need to be any marital... bonding." She put it simply, shrugging. "Isn't that right, Thor?"

Thor pursed his lips, "In all fairness, Lady Romanoff, in order for the wedding to be valid-"

"Yeah, no." Steve cut him abruptly, quickly sitting at the table with the other Avengers. "It's up to you and Ms. Romanoff, Stark."

With another sigh, Tony threw away another paper. Natasha simply smirked at him, amused with his discomfort "So... you and me, Mr. Stark."

"I hope you know I'm not losing this, _Ms. Romanoff_" Tony replied dryly.

Behind them, cheers could be heard from Barton and Banner.

"Woo! You got this, 'Tasha!" Clint shouted, pumping his fist.

"I believe in you, Tony!" Bruce said firmly, nodding.

Whether they were rooting for them to _win_ or to _lose_, Tony wasn't sure. Hell, he didn't even know what success or failure even _looked like_ in this case.

He shuffled the two remaining papers, careful not to look at which one was the longest. He didn't want to be chosen, but the Black Widow's skills were sharp. She'd know if Tony even _thought_ about cheating.

She never stopped smirking.

"Ready?" She asked, placing her finger on one of the slips, her eyes never leaving Tony's.

He scoffed, trying his damnedest to match her devil-may-care attitude about the whole thing. "Ready."

When they both looked down at the slips of paper in their hands, Tony couldn't help but bitch about it.

"No fair, Widow, you must've switched our papers!"

Her deadly stare made him freeze. "Are you implying I _cheated_, Stark?"

Tony looked away, ripping the short paper into tiny little pieces. "No, not at all."

The other Avengers tried to stifle their laughs (poorly).

"Well, if that's settled, I wish to have some words with Tony Stark." Thor said cheerily, getting up from his seat and clasping a heavy hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Fine, whatever you want, Goldilocks. Let's get out of here first. I don't want to be around when the news start spreading." Tony murmured irritably.

* * *

Each Avenger left the room one after the other, with Clint and Natasha being the last ones to leave.

When they were alone in the hallway, Clint turned to look at Natasha, "So, did you actually switch the papers or something? I was too distracted with Stark's distress to pay attention." He chuckled.

She grinned back. "I didn't need to. He was so nervous that he ended up showing me the longest one. I simply took it."

"That's good. You know, I don't think I'd like the idea of you marrying that weirdo, anyway." He shrugged, smiling at her.

She allowed a small smile past her lips. "As much fun it would be to watch you torture him, I wouldn't like it either."


	2. Comforting Arms

**A/N: I dedicate this chapter to Emily Kingsley, my internet friend who recently passed away. R.I.P Em.**

* * *

Tony and Thor were the first to leave the room. They walked the winding maze of nondecript hallways in silence, Tony caught somewhere between shock, dread and confusion. Once outside SHIELD headquarters, he turned to Thor with a wary expression on his face. "Okay, He-Man, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Thor blinked at him. "I'd rather speak with you in private, Man of Iron."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "We _are _alone, you know."

Without explanation, the thunder god wrapped a large hand around Tony's wrist, swinging Mjölnir in the other hand to get momentum for the flight.

In a blink of an eye, they were in the air – even faster than Tony was used to in the suit – and soon enough reached the landing platform at the top of Stark (soon to be Avengers) Tower, just outside the penthouse.

Once they landed, Tony ripped his arm out of Thor's grasp and tried – without much success – to shove the god aside. "Fuck, Thor, you could've at least have warned me! I wasn't ready for this."

Flying with his suit had become like second-nature. It wasn't the flying part – sometimes Tony spent long hours over New York, just for the hell of it. Lately it had become a kind of stress relief, a less desctructive alternative to blowing things up in the workshop or drinking himself into groggy oblivion (something that Pepper and Rhodey started to appreciate).

But it was one thing to have control on your flight and another completely different thing to hold onto a brickhouse of a god, trying not to scream for your dear life because_ for fuck's sake, Thor, I can fall if you don't hold me tighter!_

"My apologies, Tony. That was not the appropriate place for this discussion, so I flew us safely to your... fortress."

Tony scoffed. _Safely_, yeah right...

"Right, whatever, come inside." He waved a hand airily, already moved on from the jarring flight and stepping inside himself as he saw the god following him. "Can I offer you a drink? While you talk?"

Thor simply shook his head, smiling at Tony. "With all due respect, Tony, I think our conversation needs to be serious."

Eh. _'Serious'_ and _'Tony Stark' _rarely worked well in the same sentence. Especially given the current circumstances.

The billionaire walked behind the bar and served himself some scotch as he waited for Thor to start talking. "So... what is it you wanna talk about?"

Thor sat down on a nearby chair, eyeing Tony thoughtfully, "What are your intentions with my brother, Anthony Stark?"

Tony choked, but quickly recovered from the shock. "Thor, you saw that we had to _draw straws_ to choose who's the los- err... winner, right?"

The blonde nodded, "True, but I would still like to know."

If it were up to Tony there wouldn't even _be_ a wedding. _For fuck's sake..._

"Listen Mufasa, I get that you care a lot about your dark brother and all but-"

"Do not raise your voice with me, Anthony. I'm just trying to talk." Thor warned him.

"-but... I don't have any 'bad intentions', if that's what you're concerned about."

The Aesir nodded once more, but still didn't give up on his little interrogation. "Then do you have _good _intentions?"

Tony sighed, taking another sip from his scotch now that he was sure he wouldn't choke again. "I'm not going to take advantage of him like Clint would, if that's what you mean."

"Thank you, Man Of Iron."

Tony finished his drink and immediately considered pouring more into the glass because _holy shit I'm gonna get married to Loki_.

"I'd hate to have to harm you, Man Of Iron." Thor blurted out suddenly.

Yeah, Tony _definitely _needed more to drink. He cleared his throat as he poured more scotch.

"I don't think that'll be necessary."

"I should certainly hope not. We want you to _help_ my brother, Anthony, not make him worse." Thor explained, his blue eyes looking pleadingly into Tony's brown ones.

_Oh no, not the puppy eyes. Quick, Tony, change the subject. Do something!_

"So..." He prompted.

Thor looked at him with a confused expression.

"You really don't know anything else about this marriage thing?"

The thunder god sighed. "That's all the All-Father told me. Would you like to meet him and ask him yourself?"

Tony almost choked again. "W-Wait, RIGHT NOW?!"

Thor chuckled, putting Tony's – unfinished, mind you – drink down and taking his hand again. "If you are amenable. As I said at the meeting, the All-Father will speak only to the other fianceé, so we will have to go to him."

Tony pulled his hand back from Thor's as if he'd been electrocuted. "I'm not ready for that! Who even knows about this arrangement? Besides us, probably most of SHIELD and all of Asgard?"

Thor shrugged, "I wasn't aware you wanted _all of Midgard_ to know as well."

Oh, the thunder guy could be sassy when he wanted to. Perhaps he'd picked up a thing ot two from his brother.

"Look, man, as much as I'd like this to stay hush-hush, this is _me_ we're talking about. I can't suddenly stop my playboy ways without people wondering _why_. I've got a bit of a reputation around here." Tony reasoned, sighing. "Besides, even if we managed to keep the secret for a while, people would still figure out that I've... _settled down_."

"So what would you suggest?"

"First, I need to break the news... to Pepper."

* * *

"You're getting WHAT?!"

Pepper's scream could be heard from miles away. As soon as she'd arrived at the penthouse, Thor had excused himself to Tony and said that if he needed anything, he only needed to shout his name _(that god seriously needs a phone_, Tony noted).

Clever guy left him to drop the bomb all by himself. Damn...

"Married. I'm getting married, Pepper." Tony sighed, guiding her to the couch. She couldn't stop shaking, though if it was from shock or anger (or both), he didn't know.

"**How** could this happen, Tony?! No, _why_ did this happen? What about us? couldn't _anyone_ else have taken the burden or something?! ANSWER ME!" Her screaming got louder by the second, but Tony managed to sit her down.

"I will, Pep, jeez! Let me get you something to drink first- what would you like, by the way? Something strong? Something mixed, perhaps? You know, I bought this new brand of vodka that would go really well with-"

"Water with lemon."

"... What?"

"I said I wanted _water with lemon_, Tony, nothing alcoholic!" Pepper yelled at him again, so Tony ran to the kitchen to grab her a glass of water.

Did he even have lemons around? Maybe at the bar.

He returned and walked behind the bar, digging through the mini fridge for a lemon, which – thank god – he had. He cut a slice and squeezed it into the glass before handing it to Pepper. "Okay, when you calm down..."

"**ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND**?!" She shrieked, before taking the glass to her lips and downing it in one go.

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, eyes to the ceiling as he searched for the right words – any words, really – to diffuse the situation. "Right, I know, you have _every _right to be mad at me. But hear me out, okay!"

She sighed, still holding the glass but no longer wanting to scream. "Explain." She demanded.

He sighed back, sitting down next to her on the couch and turning to look her in the eye. He told her everything: Odin's decree, the control over Loki, the weird marriage requirement, the drawing straws part, how he lost against Natasha...

Pepper wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Pep, I don't know what else to say to make this better. I'm not thrilled about this news either, but..." Tony didn't know how to comfort her. To be honest, he kind of wanted comfort himself. But leaving her here so he could go out and drink until he forgot his own name wouldn't go over too well.

"You didn't answer one of my questions, though." Pepper murmured.

Tony furrowed his brows. Which one?

"I asked _what about us_, Tony."

Oh... that.

Tony and Pepper were still, technically, together. After arresting Loki and sending the two gods back to Asgard, every Avenger had gone their own way.

Tony invited Bruce to live with him for a while, which the scientist accepted shyly. He said he didn't want to bother Tony and Pepper, which made Tony instantly call her to assure that he was okay and alive and _oh yeah, by the way, I made a new friend, Pep. Dr Banner is gonna live with us_.

After showing Bruce his room, Tony went up to the penthouse to find Pepper. With Loki back on Asgard and the Chitauri thing behind them, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but the calmness didn't last long.

Eventually, Pepper asked him why he didn't call before he went through the portal, and Tony said he tried but she didn't pick up the phone. She replied that her phone was on mute, and he recalled that no matter how busy he was during a battle he _always_ picked up her calls. Pepper pointed out she was on a flight and was watching him on the television; he reminded her, none too gently, that _he almost __**died**__ without even telling her goodbye_.

And then their discussion turned into an ugly fight, both of them yelling at each other the top of their lungs. It ended with a crying and extremely upset Pepper diving headfirst into her work at Stark Industries and an exhausted Tony, taking refuge in his workshop and, as usual, alcohol.

Even though their fights were becoming more frequent, they were still together. Pepper continued to worry about Tony's security, and Tony worried about the same for her.

"Pepper, I have to do this." Tony started, but when he looked up to meet her gaze, he noticed she was crying. "I'm sorry, I _really _am, and I wish I could fix this-"

"So you have no way out? You **have** to marry the bastard?" She asked between sobs. Tony wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders and held her close.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully.

* * *

Loki thought Odin was mocking him.

He had to be. After his sentence – because it _was_ a sentence, having to _marry_ a puny mortal – he was sent to _his own room _in the palace.

Not a dungeon. Not a cell. His own room.

As soon as the door was closed behind him, his mind started turning over various plans for escape. He'd have to work around the fact that, even though he remained in possession of his powers, they were sealed off from him until the marriage was official.

Loki cursed. He tested the windows to see if they'd open, but they were shut by magic, and the door was presumably guarded by the same burly Asgardians who has escorted him from court. He was trapped like an animal. Odin had allowed him to return to what used to be his safe place, but under the circumstances it may as well have been a cell.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to destroy things. He wanted to–

"Excuse me..." Frigga's soft voice carried through the door, her knuckles knocking gently on the wood to warn of her arrival. "May I come in, Loki?"

He sighed. He was in no mood to talk, but for he, he would make an exception.

Besides, he was fairly sure that she would come in even if he'd said 'no'.

"Yes... come in... mother." Loki replied, unsure what he was to call her after all that had happened. Would he be permitted to call her mother?

She smiled at him, walking towards the bed and taking a seat. She looked up at him with a serene expression on her face. "You can still call me mother, my son." Frigga patted on a spot next to her, inviting Loki to sit.

He remained standing. "I'm not your son." The response was almost automatic, devoid of expression.

"Yes you _are_. And you always will be, dear."

"After everything that has happened, everything that I've done, in what _universe_ would you still want to claim me as your son?" Loki croaked, turning around to hide his features from her. She didn't need to see his face. She _shouldn't_.

He heard the bed creak as she stood, felt her arms wrap around him, felt the small pressure of her chin resting on his back. "You are my son no matter what, Loki. Nothing that you have done, or could ever do, would change that."

"I'm a _Jötunn_, mother! I tried to commit genocide, I exiled Thor, I killed countless mortals-"

"I won't deny that what you have done was wrong, my love. You need to be more careful about letting your anger guide your decisions." She kissed him lightly, turning him around so she could look him in the eyes. "I'm not proud of what you did, but I forgive you."

Loki's eyes were stinging. He wanted to cry. He wanted to go back in time and forget everything and be a little boy again, so he could remain in his mother's arms and not worry about anything else in all the Nine Realms.

"Still... to wed a mortal?!" He pushed the sentiment away, working hard to hold onto anger. "What kind of senseless judgement is that?"

Frigga laughed gently, "It's for your own good, my dear. I'm sure whoever you are married to will be a good person."

"Mother, I'm going to marry a mortal _unwillingly_." He retorts, crossing his arms. "How could this possibly be any good?"

She laughed again, pulling Loki in close for another embrace, "Oh, my sweet, everything will turn out fantastically;" Frigga kissed him on his forehead, "I just know it."

* * *

"Can we still be friends?" Pepper asked Tony, giving him one last hug.

He chuckled weakly, "Of course, Pep. Who knows, maybe I can even convince Loki into a threesome."

She laughed, hugging him tighter, "Good luck, Tony. You're gonna need it."

"Thanks." Tony sighed, pulling away from her. He cleared his throat, then. "Look... this isn't _goodbye_."

Pepper furrowed her brows so Tony quickly elaborated. "I mean, yeah, this is _a _goodbye. You're going home, I'm going home, you'll probably cry some more, and I'm about to drink myself stupid."

"Tony." She warned him.

"Sorry, hyperbole, Pep. My point is: we're not over. Not yet. Thor is taking me to see Odin soon, so I can get the details of this little 'arrangement'. I've talked my way out of some crazy shit before; no reason why this should be any different, right?" He cupped her cheek gently in one hand, his thumb wiping one last tear from her eye. "I promise I'll try to find a way to fix this."

Pepper looked him in the eye, holding him to his word, then kissed him one more time on the lips and left without another word.

Once the door was closed, Tony sighed heavily, and dropped onto the couch, head cradled in his hands. Fury had said that Odin's word was 'law'. Could he really have a nice chat with the All-Father and talk his way out of this? Or would he only make himself look like an idiot?

He couldn't guarantee Pepper that he would fix everything, but damn it, he promised he would try. He couldn't even be sure that Loki agreed with this whole marriage thing. Odin _had_ to reconsider. He had to at least acknowledge Tony.

His mind was racing frantically, _uselessly_, running through a thousand conversations and their hypothetical results. It was all just guesswork at this point. He wanted his mind to shut up and let him sleep.

So he decided to go back to what he was used to. Drinking.


	3. Hopefully Not-Soon-To-Be-Father-In-Law

**A/N: This Odin is different from the one you guys are used to. He's more of a "trying really hard to be a good father but kind of failing" Odin. And he actually cares about Loki. (Also, he's kind of a troll.)  
**

**It's different from what I'm used to read/write and hopefully, it's easier to write him like that. And I hope you guys like him, too :)**

* * *

Tony woke up the next day sprawled on his bar, neck stiff and back screaming from the horrible position. His head was pounding like it hadn't for months, his open mouth drooling over everything.

_Hello__, __hangover__, __my __old __friend__._

"Good to have you awake at last, sir." JARVIS greeted him.

"I suppose so..." Tony sighed, coming up to a sitting position and wiping his mouth. "What's up, JARVIS?"

"You have 62 unanswered calls, sir, and 10 voicemails." The A.I replied dutifully.

Tony groaned, massaging his temples to try to soothe his headache. "Who are they from?"

"47 were from Ms. Potts. Would you like me to play the messages?"

He sighed, finally standing up from the bar and taking the elevator to his bedroom floor. "Nope, I'm not in the mood."

Maybe that was a little rude, but Tony was fucking hungover and more than a little irritated with the whole marriage thing. Before talking to Pepper the night before, the seriousness of the situation hadn't fully sunken in.

Married. He was getting _married__._ To Loki. He would have to let go of Pepper, let go of his usual lifestyle, maybe even let go of Earth and/or being Iron Man.

He was going to be a prisoner. Having to live the rest of his life playing house with a murderous psychopathic alien.

He needed a plan.

By the time he got to his bedroom floor, JARVIS had finished telling him about the rest of the messages, but Tony didn't pay attention to any of it. His headache somehow had gotten stronger.

"Sir, it seems everyone in the United States already knows about your engagement."

"Good to know that I can always rely on gossip, JARVIS." He went straight to the bathroom, grabbing a bottle of ibuprofen from his medicine cabinet and downing two pills without water.

That must've been SHIELD's work. Seriously, it had been barely 24 hours; how could everyone already know about his marriage?

No. Not marriage. Not yet. First, he needed to talk to Odin.

He didn't know what Thor had meant by 'control over Loki', or why there even need to be a marriage in the first place. Not even Thor knew much about it!

He had to have a word with his hopefully-not-soon-to-be Father-in-Law.

He figured he should at least meet the old man showered, and not dirty and smelling like alcohol. Time to turn on the charm and make a good first impression, not work the homeless look.

"JARVIS, get the shower running and tell Thor to meet me here in half an hour. I'm ready to go see Odin."

"Might I suggest sustenance first, sir? The last time you ate was yesterday at 12 o' clock."

Tony was about to protest when he heard his own stomach protest for him. "Fine. I'll order something to eat, and _then_ I'll take a shower."

* * *

Loki had slept rather uncomfortably.

It wasn't his bedroom that made him distressed. The room was exactly the way he left it, if not even tidier. His bed and sheets were very soft and cozy, and there was a part of him that had missed it.

But his mind refused to rest, zooming through a million thoughts at once. He needed a way to show the All-Father _why_ this was a terrible idea.

Frankly, to be under an Avenger's _mercy_ like that? That was absolutely outrageous. Perhaps that was Odin's plan all along: see Loki be ridiculed by a puny mortal. But to go to such lengths as to _marry_ his once-son to the human?

Loki sighed and turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

The worst part was not knowing who he would be forced to... _wed_. He had no way to predict how his **fiancé** would treat him, or what to _expect_. The god had made a list in his head at night, thinking about the probabilities and possibilities of who it would be. Odin said they would choose between themselves, which only made Loki more anxious.

First, he scratched Thor off the list. Thor would always be his brother (as much as Loki denied it). They'd grown up together, played together, fought together... and the big oaf had insisted on reminding Loki about it every time they saw each other back on Midgard.

His brother wouldn't go through something as serious as a marriage to make sure he'd be okay, would he?

Absolutely not. He still loved that mortal girl, that Jane Foster. He'd have to give up on her for Loki. And Loki already knew that no matter what the occasion, he'd never come first in Thor's heart. Never again.

Huffing, he turned over again. So Thor was out of question... That still left a lot of options...

Ah, good old Captain America. Loki knew a little about him from Barton's debrief, but it was probably was a man out of time, but also an obedient soldier. If he was told to marry Loki, he'd probably do so.

Except Loki didn't know how they'd come up with a decision. If Thor wasn't the one to decide, somebody would have to freely offer themselves.

And Loki knew that the dear Captain wouldn't do that. As nice as he seemed, he was already married to his country, to his duty, and would likely treat Loki the way however he was told to do.

Barton also told him Banner - the beast - was a rather calm scientist, but he didn't feel like testing that theory. He would not soon forget how he felt like a ragdoll, swept through the air with disconcerting ease by that green creature.

He could only hope he wouldn't have to deal with that again.

Then there was Barton himself, who - if Loki was correct, and he _always_ was - would certainly want his revenge. Once he learned that he would have full power over Loki, he was sure to take advantage of it.

Right then, Loki reminded himself of the widow. Perhaps she'd be the one, given how close-minded these mortals were and how they probably wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of two men marrying each other. Yes, the woman was...

Another bad choice. She was a liar as he was, and a highly skilled one at that. She'd pretend to agree to everything, to give the appearance of taking the hawk's burden, and make Loki suffer all the same. He still remembers his words to her, how she played with him without him even realizing it.

How she was completely in love with that foolish man and would do absolutely anything to get revenge for him.

Sighing deeply, Loki closed his eyes and massaged his temples with one hand, trying to figure out who would the least awful "choice" (as if he had any).

Stark. He hadn't thought of him.

Oh, by the nine, let it be _anyone_ but Stark.

* * *

If Tony had thought that flying with Thor via Mjölnir was stressful - and mildly terrifying - that was because he'd never experienced travelling via Tesseract.

Thor explained that the Bifrost - the rainbow bridge that connected Asgard with Midgard - was broken, so they were going to use the Tesseract to get back and forth.

The god also said that travelling by the Tesseract felt like teleporting, so Tony simply shrugged and told him to do it. He knew nothing about teleportation, but figured it wouldn't be too big of a deal, right? Quick. A blink-and-you-miss experience.

It wasn't, though.

Sure, it was fast enough, but what Thor neglected to mention was that it would make him dizzy, which was not doing any favors for his hangover.

As soon as they arrived, Tony grabbed Thor's arm for balance, as he tried to take a deep breath and not vomit all over the blonde.

"Are you alright, Man Of Iron?"

"Yeah, just peachy." Tony responded a little breathlessly, keeping his eyes shut for the moment so he could try to will away the nausea and the incessant pounding in his skull.

"Would you like me to carry you to my father's palace?" Thor offered.

And that was simply _unacceptable_. Tony Stark had _plenty_ of hangovers before (many of which were even worse than this one), and he always took care of himself just fine. He wasn't about to swoon in Thor's arms like a fucking damsel in distress.

"No thanks, Hercules, I'm _just __fine_." He snapped back, rubbing at his temples and slowly opening his eyes. At first it was difficult to focus, but as his vision gradually got back to normal, he saw they were in a large golden chamber, where a tall guard – taller than even _Thor__ –_ stood holding his gigantic sword and looking back at them.

"We've been expecting you, Chosen One." The tall figure said, looking right at Tony.

_Wait__, __what__?_

"Greetings, Heimdall. If you'll excuse us..." Thor said as he dismissed him, taking a hold of Tony's arm and walking out of the room, only to step out onto the aforementioned Rainbow Bridge.

Tony could see the cracks, and he could see it had been broken, but it didn't look as bad as the thunder god had suggedted.

"Hey, Thor, you told me the bridge was too damaged to travel on?" Tony asked, eyeing the cracks suspiciously.

"It used to look worse, I assure you. But it's been worked on and we're still fixing it. It's stable enough for us to walk on, but not safe enough to use as a transport." The god explained, offering an apologetic smile.

Tony shrugged and told him, "Whatever, let's go meet my dear _father__-__in__-__law_."

* * *

Loki was pacing back and forth in the throne room citizens of Asgard began to fill the hall. The air buzzed with hushed whispers and the energy in the room was high. They all were excited to see Loki's fiancé, for reasons the prince was unable to fathom.

Could he even call himself a prince anymore? He could not claim to be an Odinson any longer, he was just _Loki_, but Odin continued to host him in the palace, and Frigga still insisted he was her _son_.

But that wouldn't matter within a few weeks, perhaps even mere days. He was about to be wed to a mortal with no title.

Assuming the All-Father didn't _listen_ to him.

"Where is he, mother?" Loki asked a little anxiously, stopping his pacing to look at Frigga. "He should have arrived by now. Soon all of Asgard is going to be here."

"I know, my love, but your father-"

"He is _not__. __My__. __Father__._" Loki snarled, before realizing who he was speaking to.

Loki could hear the whispers of the Aesir behind his back, so he stood still, trying to soften his expression. His mother didn't deserve this. But the Queen simply stood up from her throne, walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around her son.

"It's alright, Loki dear." She said as her hands rubbed his back soothingly. "I was just saying that _Odin_ has been taking care of other matters at the moment, but he'll be back shortly."

Her voice and her gentle touch seemed to calm him down. He sighed deeply, pulling away from his mother's embrace, but pausing with his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you, mother."

Odin decided to show up on that instant. "Loki..." He rested his hands on Loki's back, expression inscrutable, though Loki could swear there was a glint of humor in his eye.

Loki took another - more discreet - breath. "Hello, _father_." He tried to keep the venom out of his voice, but maybe he failed just a bit.

"I apologize for the wait. Your groom will be here in a minute." Odin said as he seated himself, giving his wife's hand a light squeeze.

Groom? That crossed out the woman. But there were still four other Avengers for him to worry about.

"Yes, and that's exactly what I need to talk to you about. Father, I don't think-"

Just as he was about to start a serious conversation with Odin, the gates opened and the king's musicians started playing. Loki was forced to return to his mother's side as court etiquette dictated, crossing his arms and exhaling heavily as he closed his eyes. He had absolutely _no_ patience to deal with the situation at hand.

And the fact that Odin almost certainly would not listen to him wasn't helping either.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Thor coming toward them down the aisle with someone by his side. It didn't take another glance to realize it was none other than Tony Stark.

_**Damn**_.

* * *

Tony had to admit, his visit to Asgard was _awesome_ so far. Everywhere he looked glittered with gold, and the architecture of the palace was_stunning_. As soon as he and Thor entered the Throne Room, all of the Asgardians bowed to them (well, probably Thor) in reverence.

Ah, so maybe this is how Rudolf got so used to the 'kneeling' shit. Tony felt like an actual god as he walked through the hall.

That is, until he looked at his supposed _fiancé_.

Loki still wore armor - and that infamous helmet - but it looked different from the one he'd worn while on Earth. It looked lighter, with less metal and more leather. He was also wearing a long green cape, that fit well with the rest of his clothing.

Tony realized too late that he was letting his eyes linger too long, because when he looked up at Loki's face, the god was _leering_ at him disapprovingly. It was either that or _his __own_ choice of clothes.

Hmm, maybe he should've chosen something better to wear. He'd chosen one of his sharpest suits, but maybe a tux would have been more appropriate. Everyone else in the room looked extremely well groomed. Who knew what was proper protocol for mortal grooms-to-be visiting the royal family?

Odin gestured for them to come closer and Thor obeyed, escorting Tony with one giant hand on the human's shoulder. Tony plastered his best diplomatic smile on his face and allowed it. What he would have preferred to do was call this one-eyed king on his bullshit, cancel the wedding, and head back home as soon as possible.

"Welcome, my son and future son-in-law!" Odin boomed, with the hint of a smile on his face. "Tell us your name, Midgardian."

Tony gulped, suddenly nervous, "My name is Tony Stark, Your Majesty." He was relieved to hear his voice come out relatively even.

"Ah, so _you _are the Man Of Iron." The All-Father said, sounding pleased. "My son has told me much of your conquests on the battlefield."

"Oh Gee, glad to know I've made such a good impression on my future husband." Tony deadpanned, stealing a glimpse of Loki by a blonde woman's side. _Must __be __the __queen_. Had Thor mentioned her name? Tony searched his memory frantically.

"Actually... It was I who told the All-Father about you, Tony." Thor clarified, cutting across Tony's thoughts before turning back to Odin. "Father, I brought the Man of Iron here because he wishes to learn more about the conditions of this wedding."

"Of course. I am happy to explain everything about the binding-"

"Uh, excuse me, Your Highness?" Tony interrupted, trying not to sound too desperate. "If you don't mind, I was hoping to discuss the terms _in __private_?"

He could still feel Loki's eyes piercing through him, but he didn't care. He had no interest in letting all of Asgard know just how much he didn't want to marry their dark prince.

Odin fell silent for a moment, and Tony briefly panicked that he might have made things worse, until the king replied, "Alright. Thor, Anthony and I will talk in my private chambers."

Loki turned to Odin as the king stood, "Father, I need to go with you."

"No, Loki, we-"

"I _must_ talk to you!"

"Hey, that's okay with me." Tony intervened when he saw where this was going. Part of him was relieved that he could no longer have these terse, shitty conversations with his own father. He looked Odin in the eye. "I was actually going to request that Loki be there too."

Odin sighed, "As you wish. Come." He commanded.

* * *

As soon as Odin closed the door to his chambers, Loki was the first to speak.

"Father, you are making a grave _mistake_." He said, looking irritably at the king. "You continue to claim me as your _son_ and insist that this is for my own good but you desire to marry me against my will?!"

Stark meddled once again, "That's _exactly_ what I was about to say!"

Stark had actually concurred with him?

"With all due respect, I don't think that _marriage_ is really the solution here. I'm sure you can find something else to do with Loki for his punishment," the mortal explained, crossing his arms.

Hm, perhaps not as much as Loki thought.

Odin, however, was unamused. "Loki, _someone_ needs to take responsibility for your-"

"And why can't I be that someone?!" He still felt furious. He didn't want to be punished for his actions on Midgard until the whole story was out - the attempted genocide was indeed his fault, but he still needed to explain the Chitauri invasion - but _anything_, anything else would've been better. "I am perfectly willing to take responsibility for my _misdeeds_. Do as you will. Sew my lips, take off my powers, _exile_ me. Do your worst. Just don't... _force __me_ to marry Stark."

In that moment, Tony realized that Loki hated this marriage crap _even__more_ than he did. The god of mischief was practically begging for any other punishment, but the All-Father paid him no mind.

"No. You may not think this will do you any good, Loki, but I know better." He then turned his attention to Tony, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And why don't _you_ want to marry my son?"

Tony fidgeted under the king's intense gaze, clearing his throat and forcing his hands to his side so he didn't cross his arms. Now was not the time to look confrontational. "No offense, sir, but I think a forced marriage is a bit drastic."

"Why did you volunteer, then?" Odin's grip on Tony's shoulder tightened to the point of starting to hurt. "You came all the way from Midgard to dismiss me and my son in front of my entire kingdom?"

"Actually, in my defense, I asked to talk _in __private_-"

"I was _generous _enough to let you, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, choose a suitable groom from among yourselves. You were chosen, and you accepted, Man of Iron, so do not complain _to __me_!" Odin's patience was wearing thin, and Tony was sure that his shoulder would be bruised when the king released him.

Loki chose that moment to intervene, placing his hand on the king's extended arm. "The mortal still has a point. Father, I know that I've wronged you..." Loki starts, forcing the King of Asgard to turn around and look his son in the eyes. "I've wronged all of you, including those on Midgard. And I am willing..." He places his other hand on Odin's shoulder to keep the king's attention, "To accept a fitting punishment."

Loki forced his features to remain still, his voice cool but with a tinge of urgency. He was lying for the most part of it, but the situation demanded it.

"And you would swear this is true, my son?" Odin looks at him, his blue eye searching for even the hint of a lie in Loki's green ones.

Loki's gaze held firm. He would not concede defeat. He wasn't called "god of lies" for nothing, after all.

"Yes."

Odin proceeds to hug him, not giving him a second to adjust to the embrace. He swallowed dryly and stole a glance at Stark, who had his arms crossed and a disconcerted look on his face. Stark said nothing, though, so Loki paid him no mind.

"Will you accept any punishment I choose for you?" Odin suddenly asked, his palms rubbing little spots on Loki's back.

The trickster was careful not to let his mask fall – the All-Father believed him, and if he stopped the show now, there was a chance that the situation would turn out even more poorly - "Yes, Father. As you wish." He parts the embrace to show his smile. _Ah__, __now __we__'__re __getting __somewhere_, he dared think to himself.

"Excellent." Odin beamed, patting Loki gently on his cheek, "You shall marry Anthony, then." At that, he spun around, taking Stark's hand. "And you, Man Of Iron? Will you help my son?"

Tony was thrown completely off guard, "I uh... Well, actually..."

"Will you?" Odin repeated, his stern look fixed on Tony.

He swallowed. "Yes, sir."

"Very well" The king gave Tony's hand to Loki, joining them both with his own. "I may sound like an old foolish man, but I trust my judgement. And now..." He removed his hands, "I'm trusting _you_, Anthony Stark, with my son."

Both men looked startled, gazes darting from their held hands to each other's eyes and back to the All-Father.

Odin all but smiled, "I'll discharge you both from the announcement, however, you are both to remain in the palace in order to... become better acquainted with one another."

With a sly glance at Tony, he turned away from the couple-to-be and shut the doors behind him.


	4. Mother By Association

**A/N: I think I have the WORST timing in history**

**I was planning to update today but OFF THE RECORD updated and HA, watch as no one reads this fic. Oh well. When/if you guys decide to read it, this chapter will be waiting...**  
**It was done quite sometime ago but Ally (my beta) got busy *cough* and distracted *cough* so we talked it out and she said she works better with schedules, so from now on I'm gonna try to give her a deadline and such.**

**Also, I have no idea when I'll start to write chapter 5. I need to figure out a few things and real life is kind of kicking me on the butt constantly. But, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) It was by far the longest chapter I've ever written (and it used to be longer, it was 4k words and now it's 3950 lol)**

* * *

Warm hands were still holding cold ones.

Neither man could tell for how long. Seconds, perhaps minutes. They just stood there, looking at their intertwined hands, feeling the distinct temperature difference from the other's hand as well as the roughness – _softness_ – of it.

Suddenly, Loki caught himself in this foolish display of what could be mistaken for _'affection'_ that his father made them do and jerked his hand away. Stark was too astonished to even react, which only made Loki more annoyed.

"Thank you for being completely _useless_, Stark." Loki snarled at him, crossing his arms. "_For a second_ I thought you'd be helpful. I guess I was wrong."

The mortal blinked, the glazed look gone from his eye and replaced with outrage. "_Excuse me?_!" He spoke as he stepped towards Loki, "You're the one who pulled out that **bullshit** _'daddy, I'm sorry, please forgive me' _and you're mad at _me_?!" Stark growled back at him.

"At least I made an attempt! And I was very close to succeeding-"

"Too bad Papa Bear didn't buy your shit _for a second_!"

"Better to have tried than just have stood there, watching the show like an _imbecile_!"

"Hardly. I tried to talk to him about this marriage shit, but you saw how he got when I hinted that I didn't want to marry his precious _baby_"

That was the last straw. In a swift move, Loki caught the hem of the mortal's shirt in his fists and lifted, bringing him closer to the god's face. "Now listen to me, you spiteful human." He started, looking right into Stark's livid brown eyes, "I don't want to marry you _either_, in case you haven't noticed. But there's not much we can do at this point, since you _fucking agreed_ with Odin before he walked out of here..."

"I didn't _'fucking agree' _with him!" Stark retorted, face still close to his own, "He creeped me out! What was I supposed to say? _'No sir, sorry sir, but your son still sucks'_?! He would've killed me!"

"That was the plan!"

"Oh, _I'm sorry _for not getting the fucking memo!" The Man of Iron practically roared, taking his own hold on Loki's armor, "But you're in as much crap as I am right now..." Stark said low, leering at Loki, "...So I wouldn't talk like that to the guy who's about to have control over you, _sweetcheeks_."

Loki slammed the mortal's body up against the nearest wall, not caring at all if he started to bruise. Hel, he _wanted_ to bruise this stupid man. "Did you forget who you're talking to, Stark?"

"Did_ you _forget who _you're_ talking to, Rudolf?" He countered.

"I can tear you apart-"

"Your magicks are gone."

"My magic may be restricted, but my strength still remains." Loki grinned wickedly as one of his hands curled around Stark's neck, just enough to disturb the man's breathing. "I could kill you right now, if I so wished."

"I'm not afraid of you." Stark defied him through gritted teeth. "Your father? Yes. You?" He had the audacity to scoff, "Not so much."

If Tony were going to be honest with himself, he was _just a tiny little bit_ scared. They were alone in the All-Father's bedroom, Loki pinning him up against a wall and with a hard grip on his throat. If the mad god so wished, Tony would be dead before anyone could come to his rescue.

_At least if Loki killed him now, he wouldn't have to deal with marrying the bastard._

The last thing he saw was Loki's furious features as the god tightened his grip some more, making Tony's vision start to darken until...

"Oh dear, am I interrupting something?" He barely heard a female voice before the pressure around his throat receded enough so he could breathe again, back straightening on the wall and feet coming in contact to the floor.

"No, of course not, mother!" Tony heard a hint of anxiety in Loki's reply, so he took the opportunity to open up his eyes.

Loki was still very close to him, but his face was turned to the door, where the queen stood looking worriedly at them. It was then that Tony realized that the only thing keeping him from falling was Loki's hold.

"Are you sure? Mr Stark doesn't seem very well..." Her concerned gaze turned on him. Loki's hands on his shoulder – when did they even _get there_?! – were still grabbing him firmly, but this time without hurting.

"He's alright..." Loki's thumb started to rub little circles into his shoulders, "He's just feeling a little dizzy... isn't that right, Stark?"

Tony felt _more than 'a little'_ dizzy, but he didn't want to argue right now. "Uh... yeah..." He replied, voice sounding too low and unsure to be his own.

The queen – what was her name, again? – approached him and laid a gentle hand on his cheek. "He must be exhausted from the trip here... Loki, dear, do you mind if I take him to his chambers?"

"W-What?" Tony asks, looking from mother to son then back to her. "_'My _chambers'?"

"Of course, dear. Odin told me you'll be staying with us as a guest for a while," the queen calmly explained, taking his arm and – somehow – fully supporting him. He was feeling less dizzy than before, but still Tony feared that if she let go, he would stumble to the floor.

Better not look weak in front of her. Or _Loki_.

_Especially_ not that asshole.

"Why don't you go to your own bedroom, Loki? I'd like to have a word with you, after I'm done with Anthony." She said simply, but Tony could hear the steel in her words.

Loki merely nods. "Yes, mother."

* * *

His new... _room _was elegant. Simple, given that he's just a guest, but still considerably nice. Like everything else in Asgard, completely decorated with gold. But he had to admit: the bed was bigger than he'd expected. Considerably smaller than Odin's, sure, but still quite large.

When she walked him over to the bed and gently released his arm, Tony sat – _fell_ – to the bed in a rather undignified manner. Time passed differently on Asgard – Tony was sure it had to be well into the evening on Earth, but still daylight continued to stream through the large windows. Tony was tired and undeniably grumpy. His conversation with Odin about the wedding had been a miserable failure, and he'd almost gotten himself killed shortly after.

He still had a bit of his manners left, though, so he motioned to his other side of the bed and asked, "Would you care to join me, my Queen?"

She smiled at him, sitting gracefully where he gestured. "How chivalrous of you, Mr. Stark."

"Please, call me Tony, Your Highness."

"Alright, Tony. Please, call me Frigga." She replied, calm smile never leaving her face.

_Ah, so that was her name._ Loki's mother seemed to be nicer than he was, and nicer than Odin too for that matter. Maybe that's just how all mothers are.

Still, he liked her already.

"Something tells me you wanted to talk to me before I was allowed to sleep."

The queen crossed her legs and turned so she could completely face Tony and laughed gently. "Indeed. It would seem that you truly are as smart as my son told me. Or at least as perceptive."

"Oh yeah, Thor, right?" Tony recalled the conversation with Odin, before they went to talk in private.

"No." Frigga said simply, "Loki."

Tony furrowed his brows. "Wait... _Loki _talked about _me_? To you?"

Frigga sighed, "Tony... Loki may have some... issues with his father... but I still talk to my son." She looks pensive for a second, "Or rather, _he_ still talks to me."

Tony nodded knowingly. "Still, why would he want to talk about me? We didn't quite... get along." He put it simply, since explaining everything that had happened between her darling son and the avengers probably wouldn't be particularly well-received.

Except... if convincing _Odin_ to cancel the marriage hadn't worked, maybe it could work with Frigga? She seemed to be a lot more understanding than that giant bearded space pirate.

Before she could reply, he hurriedly spoke up, "I mean, I did offer him a drink. I'm just a gentleman like that." _Nice, Tony, show her how considerate you are while conveniently forgetting the fact that you were threatening the guy when this happened. _"But not only did he decline, he threw me out a window!" He couldn't quite keep the displeasure out of his voice.

Okay, so maybe he was cutting quite a bit of the story, but the defenestration was kind of hard to forget. Frigga laughed, though.

"I know. He told me about this."

Tony looked shockingly at her. "E-Even the part about throwing me out of a window?"

Frigga laughed again, "Yes. Though he gave me more specifics about the beverage offering."

"What... kind of specifics?" Tony asked with a skeptical eyebrow and kept his voice flat, but he couldn't deny his curiosity anymore.

"Oh, Loki and I didn't have much time to discuss... it's been two very tumultuous days and we have had very little time to properly converse." Frigga shook her head lightly. "But, he did tell me that out of that strange group, there was a handsome, smart man that offered him a drink." Her smile looked sincere, "He said he considered accepting, but decided to decline, given the circumstances."

Tony nodded, filing the _'handsome'_ and _'smart' _remarks away for later (Especially 'handsome'). "Shame. Maybe things would've went differently if he had accepted." He smirked.

He hadn't forgotten about the threat that Loki and the Chitauri were to Earth. He hadn't forgotten the 80 anonymous people Loki killed in only 2 days, including SHIELD agents and, oh yeah that's right, _Phil._ He _would not_ forget Phil, but even Tony had to acknowledge that if Loki had accepted that drink, the story would've gone a different way.

Maybe Loki wouldn't have defenestrated him. Maybe they would've bantered some more, their own personal _battle_ in parallel of the battle of New York. Maybe Tony would've flirted more, directly even, not just the casual ED joke after Loki's glowing stick of destiny failed.

On a second thought, Loki probably would've defenestrated him either way; it was like one of those unpreventable events. He could go back in time a thousand times trying to change the outcome,but would probably end up falling from his window anyway. Damn.

When Tony looked back at Frigga, he realized how distracted he had become, and apologized quietly.

"It's quite alright. Sometimes my Loki does that too, believe it or not."

He let out an embarrassed laugh, "So uh... you still didn't tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Her calm expression gave way to surprise, "Oh, yes! Well... I'd like to apologize in behalf of Loki about earlier."

Tony was confused. "Uh... _what _exactly are you referring to?"

"My son threatened to kill you."

His expression fell with her admission. "Excuse me?"

Frigga reaches out to take Tony's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Believe me when I say, Tony Stark, that Loki didn't mean it. He was angry not so long ago, and the thought of killing you _might _have crossed his mind, but he would never go through with it."

Tony stared in disbelief.

"Ma'am- I mean... Frigga..." Tony started, holding her hand and trying not to look as incredulous as he felt. "I know that you have faith in your son, and that's nice... I wish I still had a mother to have faith in me..."

Bad idea, now he was thinking of Maria (she had always smelled of lavender, and smell was a powerful memory). He didn't give himself too much time to mope, though, as he quickly got back to the point.

"But... I think he was really trying to kill me."

Frigga moved her other hand to hold Tony's cheek, "Tony, I know that your first encounter with Loki didn't go so well." Frigga brushed her thumb ever so gently, "But I know my son. He may have done some things that I'm not exactly proud of, but I'm _sure _he wouldn't try to kill you right now."

"With all due respect, your Highness, he just did." Tony sighed, "I was about halfway to strangled before you happened to come in the room. If you hadn't, what would have stopped him?"

Frigga was sorry to hear it, but didn't take her hands away. "It was a moment of anger, dear." Her voice softened even more, as if she was explaining this to a child (_her_ child, even). "I apologize for what he put you through, but I am sure that even if I hadn't intervened, my son would do what is right."

Tony fought the urge to scoff at that. Frigga was being genuinely kind to him; it would be more than just a little impolite to scoff.

"I really liked what I see in you, Tony." She spoke up again, standing up so she could kiss his forehead. "You may not believe my words right now, but I'm positive you will come to, in time."

The queen graciously walked to the exit, stopping by the door to say, "I know you will take good care of my son, Tony." She left, soft slippers making no sound on the stone as she walked.

Which brought Tony crashing to reality.

It was still happening. Despite his best efforts, he was_ still _marrying Loki.

_It could be worse, Tony._

He told himself.

_He could be ugly._

* * *

Loki wasn't quite tired yet; the last rays of evening light were still making their way through his window. But if he left his room, there was the distinct possibility of him being surrounded by all kinds of people he _didn't want to see, so it was safest to stay in his chambers._

He was sitting at his desk, reading – or rather, running his eyes along the words – when he hears a knock on his door.

"Come in." He answered without looking away from his book, as his mother quietly entered the room. She walked behind his desk after closing the door .

"Everything alright, darling?" Frigga asked. She put her hands gently on his shoulders and started rubbing tiny circles with her thumbs, in all the places Loki liked best. "You look upset."

He sighed deeply and stopped pretending to read. "I couldn't persuade Odin to cancel the wedding."

She shook her head, "Dear, you know that when your father gets an idea in his head, it's hard for him to let it go."

Loki buried his face in his hands, "I know, but perhaps you could've _helped_." He mumbled sullenly.

Odin _never_ listened to Loki. He should've known better than to try to talk with him out if anything. When Frigga spoke to him, he at least made an effort to listen and _consider_ what she said.

Loki was trying his damnedest to not blame his mother for this. For anything. But a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if she had even tried to talk to Odin about the wedding. When his sentence was struck, he hadn't had enough time to talk to her. He'd been moved to his bedroom, and any instance that he'd seen Frigga afterward, they'd resolutely avoided any talk of the events after his fall from the Bifrost.

He suspected that even now, even if he were absolutely forthcoming about everything that he'd been through, she would would not believe him. Or perhaps worse, she _would_ believe him, but that'd give her (and Odin) more reasons to want this marriage to happen.

Either way, he had no choice.

Frigga's arms enveloped Loki in a firm embrace, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I know, sweetie, I know... but I'm afraid I share the same thoughts as your father."

That made him go rigid. It was one thing to _assume _his mother had agreed to all of this, and quite another thing to have it _confirmed_.

He felt betrayed. Even more than before, when he thought it was just Odin and Thor against him.

Loki felt like he had lost his mother too.

Her embrace tightened, perhaps due to his silence and stiffness, and she started to speak again. "Loki, hearing this isn't easy, and I don't expect you to comprehend our decisions on the first attempt, but _I do_ believe that marrying Tony Stark will be a good idea."

Could it be, that not even Frigga saw that this marriage was a terrible idea?

"You don't know him, mother." His own voice was but a whisper.

"Mm... perhaps not." She conceded him that, "But neither do you."

"I know him well enough." He lied.

If he were honest with himself, he'd admit to knowing next to nothing about Stark, other than that he was the Man of Iron and _tremendously, revoltingly _annoying. That was reason enough to want to avoid this marriage.

That and the_ immense_ power Stark would have over him.

Frigga laughed gently, "No, you don't. You've met each other under different, more extreme circumstances." She explained, still holding him close and trying to soothe him. "That could very well change when you two spend some time together. Things can change."

"If we are left alone again, I'll kill him." Loki muttered grumpily.

Frigga's calm demeanor took on a hard edge. Her arms pulled away from Loki's shoulders and she crossed them against her chest. "About that- I'm not happy about what you did to Tony."

Loki turned in his chair, incredulity written into every line of his expression. "What did I _do_ to _**Tony**_, mother?" His voice practically dripped poison at the name.

"You hurt him. Not severely, but you gave me a fright when I got to Odin's chambers and saw _that _scene." Frigga looked as calm as ever, but her voice was stern.

Loki took a deep breath, trying to control himself. "What do you expect me to do? Apologize?"

"That would be great, dear." She smiled, but didn't uncross her arms. "I already apologized for you, but hearing the words come from you directly would go a long way, I'm sure."

Loki gritted his teeth. "I'm not going toapologize. If anything _he _should be apologizing to _me_!"

"You physically hurt him, Loki."

"Well, he got on my nerves. Tony Stark is hardly a polite or considerate person!"

Frigga uncrossed her arms and took Loki's hands in her own, urging him to stand up. He was still furious at everything, and none too pleased with his mother, but whenever she held him he seemed to calm down. He found himself utterly torn between the desire to flee from her touch and the desire to remain within her reach forever.

"You both are very stubborn, my son." She said softly before embracing him again. "But sometimes, we have to yield in order to make progress with someone. If we don't take the first step, no one will."

He sighed then, and returned his mother's embrace, holding her closely. Being in her arms would never not be a release. He felt his throat is tighten and his eyes burn with unshed tears.

"I'm scared, mother." Loki let out in a shaky breath.

Her hand on his back resumed its movements, rubbing in circles as she comforted him. "It's alright, love. It's alright."

"I don't know what he'll do to me." Loki murmured, burying his face in her shoulder. "Why does this sentence have to be so cruel?"

"Loki, I've talked to Tony. He's a good man, and frankly, he seems to be more scared of you than you are of him."

"He should be." Loki laughed weakly.

"True. But my point is, if he really is such a bad person, do you think your father and I would trust your hand to him?"

Loki sighed. His true answer was '_maybe'_, but instead he said "No."

Frigga broke the embrace so she could look him in the eye. "Exactly. All we want is the best for you, my son."

"Do you really think_ Stark_ is the solution?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes." She replied with a smile, conviction clear on her face.

* * *

When Frigga left Loki's room, she felt drained. She'd never admit, but being a mother was certainly more stressful than being the Queen.

She loved it, though. She absolutely adored her sons and wouldn't trade them for anything in all of the Nine Realms.

Thor had always been closer to his father, while Loki was closer to his mother. Both parents loved their sons irrevocably, giving them the attention and love they deserved.

But, like every other family, they had their... _issues_. Frigga had to admit it.

At first, when Odin had sentenced Loki to get married to one of the Avengers, she'd thought it was an absurd solution. Her poor baby shouldn't be forced to marry someone he didn't want to marry! In Asgard, many marriages were arranged, but Frigga had never imagined that her sons would have to go through such a thing.

There was no war coming, no need for an arrangement as this other than... well... Loki's punishment.

As Queen, she had to consider Loki the defendant (or culprit), and consider his wrong deeds during court.

As his mother... she couldn't help but worry about him.

As soon as Loki was sent to his chambers, Odin and Frigga had discussed each of the Avengers and their various merits. They also asked for Thor and Heimdall's opinions of each one of them. With a little bit of magic, they were able to see what Heimdall saw during the battle in Midgard.

Most of it wasn't exactly cheerful, but after seeing Loki's interactions with each Avenger. They felt prepared for whichever one would soon be their son-in-law (or daughter-in-law, if that ended up being the case).

Frigga found the Man of Iron humourous in spite of herself. He, out of all of the Avengers, had really caught her interest. She liked to think that Loki was similar to her, and was sure that he would definitely be interested in this Stark fellow if given a chance.

Which was why she had to make sure Tony would be interested in Loki as well.

She didn't like to think that she had _lied _to the hero, she simply... gave him a gentle nudge in the right direction. Some things she had said to him were true –_ "Oh, me and Loki didn't have much time to discuss... it's been two very tumultuous days and we barely got time to properly converse." _– others she'd said because she thought it would get the best reaction out of him – _"But, he did tell me that out of that strange group, there was a handsome, smart man that offered him a drink." _– but all in all, what she did, she did for love.

Frigga didn't lie when she said she liked Tony. A part of her felt bad for not being completely honest with the man, but without her _little push_, she doubted the situation even had a _chance_ of going well.

Loki needed someone, that much was clear. Though Loki would have to be submissive to Tony following the terms of the marriage, Frigga had faith that the man wouldn't abuse his powers.

She trusted him. As did Odin and Thor.

Though they still needed to explain the rules of the marriage to Tony.


	5. What do you mean by control?

**A/N: ****So... hi? Sorry for the delay?**

**Things happened, one of them being a writer's block, and I went months without writing. Then I got back and decided to join the Frostiron Bang, so yeah... sorry again.**

**I'm also apologizing because I'm updating this fic today and I'll spend the rest of my free time writing for said Bang. Because I need to get 15k and unlike popular opinion, writing 15k is HARD. Especially to me, this isn't being an easy challenge at all.**

**I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but *sigh* i made you guys wait too long. hopefully it's not total shit.**

**Also: YEP, DA RULES ARE HERE.**

**And this chapter used to be 4,4k but my beta read it and we discussed and well, now it's a little bit less. Like I said, writing is hard. I hope you guys still enjoy it, though :)**

**(And I've been trying to upload this since yesterday but wouldn't let me! Sorry for delaying it even more :\)**

* * *

He slept too much.

Tony was sure of that. Maybe it was because of the time differences between Earth and Asgard – days in Asgard somehow seemed twice as long – or he was just tired because of the amount of stress he had to deal with in just a few days.

He still felt pretty exhausted, but who would even dare to go back to sleep when Thor's powerful voice boomed in your ear?

"Tony! Time to wake up, my friend!" Thor opened the curtains of the (already pretty lit) room, then checking on the man splayed on the oversized bed, "You need to get ready for our lunch banquet. Father will explain to you the rules of the marriage!"

That peaks Tony's attention, quickly sitting up and brushing the sleep out of his eyes. Because one, he was _hungry_. Starving, even. And two, _Odin would explain the rules_.

Finally. After what seemed to be forever, he's going to find out what the hell he's supposed to do with Loki. Besides being his husband, that is.

Thor had said he'd be able to _control_ him, but Tony still didn't know at what extent. And what 'control' meant to Asgardians. Maybe it wasn't even that, they all seemed to be drama queens, what with the Shakespearean style, so what these people called _control_ could easily mean _quiet down_ to Tony. Right?

It wasn't anything serious... _Right?_

"Anthony?" Thor brought him back to reality, looking mildly worried, "Are you alright?"

Tony waved a hand in the air, "Yep, just fine. A little tired, but I'm used to it."

Thor furrowed his brows, but didn't question it. "Are you ready for lunch?"

He sighed. "In a minute... I just can't go dressed like this, can I? I don't think Papa Odin would approve of this." He threw his legs over the side of the bed, unwrapping the blanket from himself in the motion and showing his boxers.

* * *

Loki was politely sitting by the big banquet table, his hands on his knees, knuckles white from clutching his fists tightly. His expression blank, but his mind running a lot of images and scenarios.

Stark commanding him to kneel, for example. Stark humiliating him by using his new powers the way the All-Father surely wanted him to.

Gods, this would be so _mortifying_.

As if on cue, Stark himself arrived with Thor by his side. Both wearing casual armour; though Stark's was a little more than casual. He wore mostly red, with a touch of gold, doubtlessly to mimic the man's own iron armour.

He had to admit, the mortal looked... _decent_.

"Welcome, Anthony! Have you slept well?" Odin stood up from his seat, gesturing Stark to sit across from Loki.

The mortal nodded, "Yes, sir. Thank you for your hospitality."

He knew better than to counter the All-Father.

Once everybody sat at their respective places, the servants started to bring the food. Just the usual boar and similarly large animals as well as the beverage, but it seemed to stun Stark nonetheless. Loki didn't know what was the usual food his kind were used to eating, but perhaps this was a little unusual for him.

They ate and discussed about a few subjects. Odin did the talking, actually. Stark nodded, smiled a few times even – the kind of fake smile that even Loki was used to wearing, the kind that didn't quite reach the eyes but only the truly observant could see through it.

He watched Stark for some minutes, losing himself in the details of his face, before the mortal caught him and both men averted their gazes.

Loki was allowed to look at him, wasn't he? They'd soon get married, he'd be Stark's to command, and while that thought still nauseated him, it didn't change the fact that it was still happening.

So maybe... maybe Stark was a little more than _decent_ looking. But good looks wouldn't suddenly make this arrangement okay.

"So... I suspect it is time to tell you, Anthony, what you really want to know." Odin spoke solemnly, setting down the flatware on his plate.

* * *

Loki had been eyeing him practically the entire lunch and that _really _made Tony uncomfortable. He pretended to listen to Odin and nodded a couple of times, but what he really wanted to do was address the fact that _Loki was staring at him, damn it_.

And it wasn't even a vicious look, the one that they were used to trade by now. Loki just... _looked_ at him. Almost expressionless, if it wasn't for the way his eyes danced on Tony's skin and his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly at how intensely he was studying him.

Tony was about to yell at him to stop when-

"Mr Stark? Are you listening?"

Tony cleared his throat, forcing himself to pay attention to the All-Father instead of his exasperating son.

"No, sir, sorry sir. I was... mildly distracted by my fiancé's beauty." He replied with a charming smile, sure that _that_ would soothe Odin's annoyance.

It earned him a chuckle from the King, a wide smile from the Queen and a frown from Loki.

"You'll have plenty of time to admire my son's beauty when you're finally wedded. Now, it'd be best if you paid attention to the rules." Odin's calm expression took place again, before he started to recite.

"You shall be given special wedding rings, filled with magic. Loki shan't leave your side, while you both wear those. You shall have full control over Loki Odinson," An eyeroll and a heavy sigh from said son, probably due to the usage of his last name, "Whatever you command him to do, he shall do it without question."

Tony raised an eyebrow, turning his attention to Loki instead. The god had his chin supported on his right hand, his elbow placed on top of the large banquet table and a feeble expression haunting his face.

"Because... we're going to be husbands, right?" He directs his question to Loki, the man sighing heavily at him. "I mean... As your husband, I can tell you what to do... right?"

And didn't that just sound douchey? Not even in Earth was that how marriages worked. But Tony still couldn't quite understand what this bullshit talk about control was, until-

"The rings are magical, Stark." Loki replied to him as he straightened his back, crossing his arms. "I _literally _have to obey you because of its magic."

Tony stayed silent for a few seconds, maybe even minutes. Nobody else dared to speak, probably waiting for his response. His expression stayed as blank as possible when he asked next, "And... what if you _don't_ obey?"

He didn't expect Loki's biting answer to be: "I _can't_ not obey."

Tony felt his palms sweat, felt his throat dry and whatever appetite he must've had before was gone by now. "So... magic?" He glared at Odin now, looking for answers. "Is that how you think your son will be _redeemed_? By giving a 'mortal' unlimited power against him, through magic, and to use at free will?!"

And he was actually outraged by it. Not only would he have to give up on his previous life, he'd actually have to _be responsible_ on behalf of both him and Loki! It was too much of a responsibility that Tony did not want and did not even ask for.

In that moment, he made the mistake of glancing at Loki, and he was surprised to see that his hands were curled into fists on his lap, he avoided Tony's gaze at all costs.

And that's when it hit him: this wasn't just about Tony. It was mostly about Loki. And while Tony still thought he deserved to be punished about what happened in New York, and still thought he wasn't an innocent flower, _this_ alternative... seemed a bit too extreme.

Leave it to Tony Stark to take pity on the guy who almost conquered his planet.

"We watched every single one of you so-called Avengers, we _knew _it wouldn't be just any mortal, Man of Iron." Odin's cool voice took over, his stern eye telling him to be careful on his next words.

Fuck it. Tony Stark was never one to be careful.

"And what if it wasn't me, huh? What if it was, say, Hawkeye?" He kept raising his voice, unable to calm down once he started, "If you've seen the footage, you know what he did to Clint! You should know how badly the guy wants revenge. How much he'd _abuse_ of this kind of power, this kind of knowledge!"

"Mr Stark-"

"And yet you don't care! You'd still let it happen anyway, wouldn't you? It doesn't matter who takes this task, as long as they are the ones to set Loki straight, isn't it?" He raised from his seat, hitting his hands on the table while glaring at the All-Father.

"Enough!" Was his growling answer. "I will not tolerate this kind of tone and savage words thrown at me!"

"Oh, how bad! Because I'm not going to marry Loki either!" He shouted rather childishly, but given his anger at the moment, he couldn't care less.

"Be wary of what you say, Anthony Stark. You already agreed to this arrangement!"

"Guess what? I _can_ and _will_ dissent!"

"You can't!" Odin snarled, standing up as well and ready to attack Tony at any moment.

"Watch me!" He replied with a defiant smirk, right as he exited the room without a second look.

* * *

Loki sat there speechless for a few seconds, perhaps even a full minute. Did... Stark just _defend_ him? The day before they were in a similar situation, but he was just defending his own interests. This time, however, Loki was sure the mortal at least _thought _of him while throwing a tantrum.

Because that _was_ a tantrum. Stark was a foolish man to defy _The All-Father_, of all people. Neither of them were happy with the arranged marriage, but even when they tried to rationalize with Odin, it didn't worked. What made him think screaming would change a thing?

Nevertheless, Thor immediately stood up and announced, "I'll go talk to him. No need to worry, father."

As soon as he left, Loki also excused himself. He wanted to know what Stark was up to.

* * *

Tony had no idea how he'd manage to go back home. He came via Tesseract with Thor, but he wasn't sure _where_ the god kept it and even if he did, how was that thing supposed to work?

Plus he knew next to nothing about the city, so he decided to go back to his room and hope he didn't piss off Odin too much that the guy'd want to kill him. As shitty as this situation was, how would everyone on Earth react when they find out he died because of his fucking mouth?

He'd meant everything he said, though. And he wasn't about to apologize, Odin be damned.

Just as he tried to remember which was the direction back to his room, he heard Thor's shout. "Man of Iron! Wait!"

Tony sighed but turned around, "Thor, seriously, how could you know _that_ was your brother's punishment and-"

"I didn't." The blond immediately said. "I knew only the basics that my father told me. Not the details."

Tony crossed his arms, "But you still think it's a good idea?"

Thor offered a sheepish smile, "While the obligation to obey you no matter what due to a spell worries me, I still think he needs someone-"

"Aw, _come on_, Thor!" Tony exclaimed, turning his back to Thor again and walking _anywhere_. He was getting really tired of this bullshit.

"Alright, alright!" The blonde put a hand on his shoulder, and even though he didn't force Tony to stop, that was enough. "I know you tire of this conversation. But hadn't you finally accepted this marriage?"

Tony removed Thor's hand from his shoulder, still glaring at him. "That was _before _I knew I had to play Nanny Overlord. This is too much!"

"I'm aware, but," He put both his hands on Tony's shoulders now, "If you really resign, one of two things could happen."

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"My father would still make you two marry each other. Or, he'd let you go, but still would marry Loki to one of our friends."

Tony frowned, but stayed silent.

"So... either way, _someone_ is going to have to take responsibility for my brother. And I'd honestly rather if it were you."

Thor's eyes looked right into Tony's, his tone almost _pleading _for him to accept it. He looked at the man for a few seconds, but Thor was being completely sincere. In another situation, Tony would've accused him of using The Puppy Dog Eyes Of Doom, but this was a serious situation.

"_Fine_." Tony gave in with a sigh. "What will happen to me once I see Odin again?"

Thor shrugged, "I can't tell. It could be something serious or he'd just demand an apology."

Tony frowned. Either one seemed bad, but maybe if he apologized his penalty wouldn't be so harmful.

"No need to worry, my friend. I'm sure that when you tell him you intend to marry Loki, he'll forgive you. For now, let me show you around." Thor said reassuringly, resting a hand on Tony's back and leading him to the way.

* * *

Tony didn't have much of a say. Not that he was too opposed to the idea of learning more about Asgard, but rather because he wanted some time alone. Considering that soon he'd have Loki by his side at all times.

But he couldn't say no to Simba. Besides, he didn't have much to do anyway. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at the architecture of Asgard, get to know a little bit more of their costumes.

Everything was in gold, bright and light colors. Also, gigantic. Tony barely heard Thor talk, easily getting lost by such a stunning place.

No wonder Asgardians were so arrogant. Everything was fucking gold.

"Anthony? I'd like you to meet my friends, The Warriors Three and Lady Sif!" Thor said cheerfully, leaving Tony's side to hug said friends in his usual bear hug.

Once all of them got a hug, he turned back to Tony. "This is Fandral The Dashing," He gestured to the blond guy with playboy hair, "This is Volstagg The Volumous," Now gesturing to the big redhead, "Hogunn The Grimm," Gestured to the asian looking Asgardian, "And Sif." He smiled at the raven haired woman.

"Why doesn't she get a title?" Tony asked, tilting his head Sif's way.

"Because I don't _need_ a title." The woman quickly answered him, her voice firm.

Tony thought she and Pepper would get along wonderfully.

"Sorry," He put his hands in the air in defeat, "Didn't mean to sound rude."

She smiled and nodded, resting a hand on her heart and bowing slightly. The others followed right after.

Tony did the same greeting.

"This is how we do it in Earth." He took each one of their hands and shook them, earning a confused expression from them.

"Interesting." Said Fandral, looking at his hand. "What else do you Midgardians do differently?" He smirked, raising a provocative eyebrow.

If Tony didn't know better he'd say the guy was hitting on him.

"Sorry, Fandral." Tony pointed to the imaginary ring on his finger. "But I'm an engaged guy."

They all laughed.

"My apologies Anthony Stark. Hopefully your soon to be husband won't cut my head for it."

Tony opened his mouth to answer, but got cut off by Sif.

"Cut your head? For doing him a favor? Unlikely." Sif laughed, "I'll bet he'll gladly give Stark to you if that means he'll be free."

"Uh, I'm sure I'd have to _want_ to be with Fandral for that to happen." Tony said, crossing his arms.

When the so-called Dashing looked at him with an offended air, he explained, "No offense, but you're not my type. I'm not really into blonds."

Blonde women were another thing, but he didn't feel the need to add.

"So... you don't mind marrying Loki?" Fandral was the one to ask, still looking butthurt.

Tony shrugged, "I'm not completely okay with this arranged marriage, but I can't deny he's... good looking."

Silence.

"What? I mean, sorry Thor, but your brother is... pretty hot, to be honest."

"Stark, he's _evil_." Sif said, looking at him like she couldn't believe he thought Loki was attractive. As if what he said was a blasphemy.

Oh, _come on_.

"Listen, I don't think he's a poor innocent child. He attacked my planet, for fuck's sake. I was just saying-"

"You're naïve, Tony Stark. You don't know him like we do."

"Jeez, She-Ha, I just said I think he's attractive!"

"Listen to yourself. For all we know, he has already bewitched you." She muttered, her gaze still accusing him.

"Bewi- _he doesn't have his magic_!" Tony raised his voice, incredulous about that much bullshit. "Do you really think that if he could still use his magic by now, he wouldn't have escaped? Or tried to kill me or something as serious?"

"It might be a trick." Fandral supported Sif, "He might only be faking his powerlessness and when you least expect it, he'll strike you like the snake he is."

"Wow, nice things to say about a friend." Tony retorted, feeling the rage from earlier build up inside him again. "But no one's that good faker. Not even the god of mischief. I mean, Odin-"

"Why are you even defending him if he tried to hurt you?" Volstagg asked, more with confusion rather than anger.

Tony blinked. He wanted to yell more, but... they got a point.

He didn't know why he cared. Why he _should _care. But these guys were being rude to him, and well... he couldn't lie and say he didn't feel just a little bit sorry for Loki, for having them as friends.

He was still a bad guy, sure. Tony didn't suddenly forgive him for what he'd done. But taking a look – no matter how brief – about the guy's background made Tony think.

"Whatever." Was his final answer. He got in enough trouble today, no need to argue any more.

Without waiting for an answer, Tony left the place and hoped to find his bedroom without having to ask for directions. He hated to feel so lost, even in his mansion when he was a kid he knew exactly where he was going.

This time, he found it easily. Maybe because he was close to his room, anyway. He closed the door, stripped from his armor, leaving only the undershirt and pants on and collapsed on the bed. He was pretty sure the day wasn't even nearly over, but he was exhausted already.

If living with Loki feels like this, he'd call it quits.

* * *

Loki bit on his inside cheek for a moment, unsure if he should just knock or go in or give up altogether. He heard everything Stark and Thor's friends said, from the beginning. But the mortal had been arguing with everyone today, so it was likely that he wouldn't take Loki's 'visit' well.

Except this was the second time he defended Loki, in the same day no less. Loki's confusion was even greater than The Warriors Three and Sif's, since they didn't know Stark. Not that he knew him better, but...

He couldn't be so kind. That had to be a trick.

Stark was selfish, much like Loki himself. For all he knew, the man's anger just concerned himself. And yet...

Loki knocked on the door.

"Go away." He heard the mortal mumble.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Stark, it's me. I'm coming in."

Opening the door, he saw Stark sprawled on his stomach, face hidden in the pillows.

"I didn't let you come in." His muffled voice said.

"We're not wearing the rings yet." Loki said, closing the door behind him and sitting on the end of the bed. He didn't wish to break into Stark's personal space.

The other man righted himself, coming to a sitting position to face Loki. "Right..." He cleared his throat. "The rings... yeah."

"What do you want?" Stark asked with a serious expression.

"I heard your argument with Thor's friends."

Sometimes, there's nothing more shocking than the truth. Stark's surprise could agree to that.

"Huh, eavesdropping much? Didn't know you were into gossip."

Loki chuckled dryly, "I'm not 'into gossip'. I merely wished to know why you got so defensive earlier, with Odin. And you so happened to be defensive again, with them this time."

Stark sighed, bringing his knees to his arms and holding them in place. "You can't deny this is a shitty arrangement."

Loki nodded, "It is. However, I wasn't the one who threw a tantrum in front of the All-Father."

He frowned. "Call it what you want, but you can't blame me for getting mad."

"Certainly not. Though that's not the real reason why I'm here..."

Stark raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here because... you defended me." Loki didn't know how to put it, didn't even know if that was what the mortal's intentions, but he still said it.

And he avoided his gaze all the same.

"What? Are you ashamed that I did it? Because the god of mischief can't take kindness from anyone, especially not a 'mortal'?" Stark spat, his tone starting to rise again.

"I... just wanted to thank you." He said low. "You're right, I don't like to be treated kindly by a mortal. In spite of this, I am a prince. Or was. And I do still have manners."

He looked at Stark, whose confused brown eyes were staring at him intensely.

"So... thank you. Even if it wasn't your intention. Then again, you did it twice today."

Silence. And then:

"You're shitting me, right?" Stark asked in a mocking tone.

Loki blinked. "Pardon me?"

"You don't _thank_ people. That's not something you're capable of doing."

Loki furrowed his brows, "Excuse me? I _just _thanked you for that and you're the one being rude."

Stark scoffed, "Enough with playing around, Loki. I did agree to marry you, but that's it. Don't expect me to believe in you anytime soon."

Loki stood up, looking accusingly at him, "You argued with _five Asgardians_ because of me, Stark. If there's someone 'playing around', it is you."

The short man also stood up, though on top of the bed he seemed taller. "I don't even know why I acted the way I did! I just did it! Maybe I should've kept silent, since this tongue of mine keeps getting me into trouble."

Loki sighed, rubbing his fingers on his temples. "You're really difficult to deal with, do you know that?"

"Sorry honey, it's part of the deal of marrying me. Can you blame me, though? God of lies and all that." Was Stark's bold answer. "Fine, I did somewhat defend you. Don't mention it. It won't happen again, don't worry."

Loki looked back to stare at Stark. Neither man moved, both searching for something in the other's eye, neither one finding it or even knowing what to search for.

Without saying a word, Loki got off the bed and exited the room. Stark was right, they didn't have to be nice to each other, especially not if he was in Stark's command.

But judging by the man's behaviour, he was just as tired about everything as Loki was.


End file.
